Wake up Beautiful Butterfly
by RoseNightenDove
Summary: Act Four of Butterfly Chronicles. AU/AR. Choucho/Rexi is locked in a world where there is no such thing as Demons. She is dating Kuronue. She hates Suichi. Wills he be able to make it back before Domica's poison kill her? KuronuexOC then Suichi x OC
1. Chapter 1

_**Note From Author: Welcome to the Third Act of the Butterfly Chronicles. I congratulate you on making it this far. This is the beginning of a new chapter in Rexi's and Yoko/Kurama/Suichi's relationship and I hope you have enjoyed it thus far. As the first sentence indicates, if you are here but not have read my stories 'Color me a Butterfly' and 'Free me a Butterfly', none of this will really make any sense to you so please go back and read them in that order. :) **_

_**Now, I will also warn all you that have read this far this takes place in an AU/AR (Alternate Universe/Reality). And in said AU, there will be more modern things such as telephones, computers, movies, ring tones, songs, etc. :) **_

_**As the story progresses it will intertwine with what happened at the end of Free Me a Butterfly. It may get a bit confusing. Please stick with it. ^_^ All you have a good day and here we GO~**_

_**-Rosey (your somewhat evil, cliffhanger loving author)**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

'You would not believe your eyes

If ten million fireflies

Lit up the wor-'

"I'm up!" cried a sleep girl as she rolled out of bed and slapped at the phone that her brother Chime was holding up over her head.

"Oh? Then why did it take you until the beginning of the second go through for you to get up?" Chime asked with a laugh as he turned off the ring tone.

"Because I didn't want to get up." Rexi yelled at her brother. She wore short pj shorts and an oversized t-shirt as she started to search around her room for a fresh school uniform. She glared over at her brother. "Ma and Da already off to their jobs?"

"Yeah. They put me in charge of getting you off to meet your group for your project today. I'd hurry. It's supposed to start at 7:30 right?" Chime asked looking down at his phone as he checked the time. "Oh you better hurry after all. It's already 7:20." He couldn't help but laugh as her movements quickened as if someone had pressed the x2 button in his older sister's mind. IT was actually 7, but he'd let her believe it was almost time for her group to meet. After all it was for a grade after all.

Rexi couldn't believe her brother had let her sleep in that late. She went through her normal routines as quickly as she could, brushing her hair, teeth and pulling on socks all at the same time. Soon, she was tucking in her school uniform and grabbing her back. She looked at the clock that was on the hall just next to the door and stopped. She blinked a few times and tilted her head to the side.

There was no way she'd gotten it all done in 3 minutes. There was absolutely no way. She had done her hair, because she planned on seeing her boyfriend after the project was done. It was now pulled up into a bun at the back of her head so that it would be wavy when she let it down for Kuronue. She'd also put on a little bit of silver and tan eyeshadow to accent her eyes and lip gloss after brushing her teeth. That had taken easily fifteen minutes.

She turned and stomped up to her brother's room, slamming the door open. He saw her face and laughed. She folded her arms, but couldn't help but grinning. Her brother's laughter and attitude was contagious. "I'll get you back for this when you find yourself a boyfriend." she snapped. Of the family, she was the only one that knew her brothers affections laid towards men rather than girls like their parents wanted him to have.

"I'd like to see you try." he said with a laugh, though his eyes flicked to the hallway to make sure that their eldest sister hadn't gotten up yet. She was in college and didn't have to go anywhere that day. In fact, they hardly saw the eldest sibling any longer.

"I will!" Rexi taunted and turned to leave. She did have to go. It would take her five minutes on a bike to get to the scheduled meeting place. As she reminded herself of who she was working with, she groaned. She ran downstairs and out the door, pulling her bike out of its hiding place as she slung on her backpack with all their research materials in it. She hopped on, glad that the skirt was knee length. She'd be able to ride her bike without flashing anyone on the way.

She pedaled quickly and slid into the school's bike rake five minutes later. That gave her two minutes to find that bookworm before the teacher showed up to take a grade and make sure they were on point with their project. Why, of all days, did that bookworm, know it all have to choose Saturday? She had had to do some major rescheduling of her social calender- She laughed as she thought about it. She didn't really have a social calender. She kept mostly to herself except when it came to Kuronue. HE was her social calender.

Rexi ran forward towards the lunch area. She felt weird being to school on a Saturday with out extracurricular activities and sports to occupy it and the occasional teacher grading stuff or giving after school help. She saw the mane of red hair just as she rounded the corner. She dashed forward, slipping into the other side of the lunch table just as the teacher came around the opposite side. She gave a big sigh of relief. She wouldn't get docked points. Then she saw the disgusted green eyes across from her.

"What?" She snapped. Why did this stupid boy always make her feel like she was missing something, or had done something despicable? Suichi Minamino. Straight A-student. Voted one of the most hansom in their class along with her own Kuronue. And yet, when you talked to him he made you feel like you knew nothing. He had absolutely no tact when talking to people. She would know too. He was Kuronue's best friend but had never approved of her.

"You were almost late. I hope you won't be doing that every time. You aren't the only one that wants to get this done as quickly as possible. I won't hear the end of it from 'Nue if I keep you over the allotted time." Suichi replied and turned back to the teacher as he neared. The part with the teacher was done quickly and she was stuck with Suichi for another two hours. That was part of the project. If they weren't there, working, when the teacher returned, they got docked even more points.

"You know I don't like you either, but let's just get this done as quickly as possible. As you said, me and Kuronue are going to hang out later." She told him once the teacher was gone. "So I have the research on Multiple dimensions. What do you have?"

"I have research on how they can connect." Suichi said, rolling his green eyes at her. It wasn't that he hated her. He thought she was smart, sure. She had an okay body. Not as full as some of the others females in their classes, but none the less something to look at. It was the way she changed how she acted to fit each situation. When she was with Kuronue, she was a sweet girl, the girl next door type. When she was with him, she at least didn't act nice.

They began comparing works. He found that she actually knew what she was talking about. When he asked how, she looked away, at the soccer field. "My parents actually work on some of these projects. It's all they will ever talk about when at home." She replied before looking back, locking eyes with him for a moment. "And I find it interesting. Imagine, if you will, a place where there are different worlds and one could travel from them at will. It's silly but it's a dream I've always had. Except each world had a different species living on it. There was one for humans, one for spirits, and one for the evil and the bad, demons. Imagine being able to go visit the spirits of your lost ones! No one would have to lose their parents at a young age. They could go and visit them and give them report cards and all sorts of stuff."

It was an idealists view of things, but Suichi was intrigued. "Is that why you are going to one of the science universities in the fall?" he asked. He had heard about it from Kuronue who had been whining about he wouldn't get to see her as much because he was joining a university two cities over.

She looked away, surprised at the interest that was in his tone. It wasn't his usual annoying 'I'm so much superior to you' one that he used. "Yes. For one it'll let me work with my parents on their work, and maybe I'll be able to create a inter-dimensional portal that can take one from one to another freely." She said with a laugh. "I'm also going to study to be a doctor though. That'll be my major."

"Hey you two!" came a voice, breaking the understanding they had had in that one moment. Rexi gasped and smiled over, waving as Kuronue swooped down and sat next to her. His black hair was cut to just below the ear and hung a little over his eyes. His human body was a little over six foot. He wore sneakers, black jeans, and a leather jacket over a white shirt. For the next two minutes their lips were locked and Suichi's interest in the girl vanished. They would never get any work done now.

"Kuronue. We are trying to get a project done. The sooner we do, the sooner you two can go and do whatever you two do when you are alone." Suichi told his best friend as he turned back to the papers.

"Actually I came to ask the both of you to come see a movie with me. It's been a while since we've hanged Suichi. You've been so focused on getting into the science university and your gardening that we barely get to hang out." Kuronue said with a laugh, putting a large hand over the research to keep his friends attention as his other arm wrapped around his girls waist, pulling her back against him so she rested with her back against his chest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"No."

"You are applying to the science university?"

Suichi had said the no the instant she had asked the question and she wanted to know if that was to the offer to a movie or to her question. Kuronue watched his friend with interest, as his fingers played with the bottom of his girlfriend's school jacket.

"Come on Suichi. You have to get out more. And it'll just be the three of us. You needn't worry about having to put up with stupid jocks or anything." Kuronue said, smiling at his friend. "I mean, we are going to go see that new movie. The one about demons and such. I'm sure it'll be great fun with you there to point out all the illogical parts."

"You hate it when I do that." Suichi pointed out, pulling the work out from under Kuronue's hand. "And anyway, I have other plans." It was a lie. All he had planned for the whole weekend was homework and working with the roses in his garden. And Kuronue knew the truth about him.

"Suichi, you are applying to the science college?" Rexi asked again, her head tilted to the side. For some reason she had always seen him as more of a cultural degree seeker instead of a scientist. That would explain though why he understood some the of the technical jargon she had used earlier while describing the multiple dimension theories.

"Yes I am. Why? Are you going to stalk me while if I get accepted?" he asked, turning unfriendly eyes to her before going back to highlighting the page in front of him.

What had happened to the understanding that they had had? It seemed to have evaporated the moment that Kuronue had shown up. Rexi frowned and looked up at Kuronue instead and kissed his cheek. "We do have to finish this work first hun. Why don't you go play soccer with the little kids while we finish off." She suggested, wanting the coldness that was seeping off Suichi to go away.

"Okay." Kuronue replied, kissing her on the lips in return before getting up. "And I'm not taking a no Suichi. You are going whether you like it or not." He turned and walked lazily off to the soccer field where the schools team was training.

Rexi turned hard eyes on Suichi then once he was out of earshot. "You know, I was just showing interest. You didn't have to snap at me like I was being mean." she told him before going back to her own work.

"That's exactly why." Suichi replied, looking up at her. "You could care less if I went to the university. As long as Kuronue sees you as being the perfect, polite princess, you would dance upside down on my head."

She drew breath the argue, before stopping. Her chest tightened and she started to cough. She turned from the table as she covered her mouth. She closed her eyes as the coughs continued. Suichi watched her for a moment before deciding that she wasn't faking it to get sympathy and went over to rub her back. "Hey you okay?" he asked, for a moment a nice person who wanted to make sure a girl was okay.

As he rubbed her back, she felt her chest loosen. Soon she was able to breath right again and she wiped tears from her eyes. She held her throat though and nodded. It took her a moment before she was able to turn back to look at the table.

"I'm fine, thank you." She said softly. She took out a Kleenex from her backpack and wiped her hand under the table. She looked down at it and crumpled it when she saw small flecks of blood. It was getting worse. She saw Suichi watching her suspiciously, and she forced a grin. "I'm getting over a cold." she lied. It was the excuse she used when she started coughing this bad. Kuronue accepted it easily enough. Hopefully he would as well.

He didn't, but he didn't say anything. What could he say? He couldn't very well tell his best friend's girlfriend that she was lying through her teeth and that she shouldn't do it to him because he was also a skilled liar. That would just be too complicated. And he liked his skills at being able to deceive people a little bit too much to let this girl whom he disliked to know about them.

Temporarily forgetting about their fight she highlighted something and passed it to him when he went back to his seat. "This might help us in proving the validity of our project." she said, bringing both their attention back to the project that they were there to finish. They'd already wasted twenty minutes with their little fight and then Kuronue's sidetracking.

Soon the teacher turned and they were released for the day. And as Kuronue had promised, he had dragged Suichi with them to the movies. The movie indeed involved demon invading earth so that they could have a new food source. The four hero's (two humans and two demons that had grown up in the human world) designed a tournament where the winners got to keep human world. They called it the Dark Tournament and defeated the evil Togo brothers and the evil mastermind Sako. Rexi watched it intently. It seemed so familiar and yet so wrong as well. She wanted to say that the main character's name was Yusuke, not Tiko. What kind of named was Tiko anyway? And all the girls in the movie were lame and could do nothing.

She pointed out this last part to Kuronue as they walked out of the theater.

"What girl who is supposedly the girlfriend of a street fighter would not pick up some abilities to fight?" She wanted to know.

Suichi had to give her that. She had a good point. The whole movie to him had been a bunch of none sense. He'd ask whoever produced it to check to see if their writer was sane. It was like all the rest of the bad zombie movies that were being created recently.

"Can the two of you not analyze the movie so bad?" Kuronue asked with a laugh as his arms snaked around the girl's waist, his lips finding her neck with no problem. This turned her into a pile of jelly in his arms and she giggled, twisting so she could kiss him back.

"Can the two of _you_ get a room as long as I'm with you?" Suichi asked, a look of disgust crossing his face.

Kuronue pulled away with a loud laugh and let Rexi go, his hand replacing it's hold with her hand. "Sure Suichi. We need to find you a girlfriend so you'll get out of your garden so often. Oh, which reminds me. What are we going to do to celebrate your birthday? You'll be turning the big 18. You'll be an adult finally."

"Oh, happy birthday Suichi." Rexi said politely, looking at a pair of shoes through the window of a shop. Well really she was looking at the reflections that were bouncing off the window. In particular she was watching Suichi.

"Thanks." he said grudgingly. He was looking at everything and nothing at the same time. At least it seemed to her. His attention was zoned in on her. He had developed that skill early on when Kuronue had started to date this girl. To see her and not really look like he was seeing her. How would he explain to Kuronue that before he had gotten to know the girl that was now dating 'Nue, he'd been debating if it was worth it to ask her out. While he still itched to ask her out on the occasion, her need to please everyone else attitude was starting to get on his nerves. She was never the same with two people. Always different.

She turned back to Kuronue and smiled. "I'm starting to feel tired." She said softly, pulling her hand away. "I think I'm just going to go home. I'll see you for lunch tomorrow okay?" She leaned up and kissed him before walking off before he could stop her.

Kuronue turned to Suichi and laughed, "I guess we get to hang out today after all." He said.

"Actually, I really do need to get home 'Nue." Suichi said, watching her go before turning to go the other way. If he hurried he could cut her off and make sure she was okay. She'd had another coughing fit before the movie.

"Oh come on! You haven't gotten out of that house in ages. You need to hang out with me more often. How about we go to our old hangout and see if things have changed? Or we could go to the park and just talk like we used to." Kuronue whined. Well, the girl had said she was just getting over a cold. Suichi supposed there was no reason to worry about a girl who obviously didn't care about him.

"Fine. Lead the way." he told Kuronue and followed the triumphant looking man. The two did hardly hang out any more. It would be good to see what was going on with his best friend.

Meanwhile, Rexi was pedaling home as quickly as she could. Her chest was tight again. She'd forgotten to eaten that morning and she'd forgotten to take the medicine that was supposed to take care of this. She dropped her bike in the yard as another wave of coughs started up. She tried the door and started to pound on it. "O-Open up!" she called, hoping her sister would let her in. She tried the door again to make sure she hadn't imagined it was locked. She had forgotten to take her key with her in her rush to get a good grade at school. She heard someone come down the stairs but the steps didn't come closer to the door.

She pounded on the door as she tried to breath.

It was too late. Her oxygen starved body passed out just as her sister opened the door with wicked looking eyes. "Ah. This will never do. It's much too soon for you sister." she said and dragged the girl into the house and back up to her room and deposited her on the bed. Taking out a syringe, she filled it up with a formula that would allow her deteriorating lungs to relax enough for her to breath, she pushed it into the girl's arm and left.

"_I don't know what happened sir. Chime said that she would be stiff as a board for five hours. We still had an hour to secure her." _

"_Well find her! Not only are two guards now dead, but Chime, Limrin, and Kurama are now in the same condition as Rexi and Maze. They won't wake up no matter what we do. She can't have left Spirit World yet. And get Hiei up here. Pronto!" That was Koenma's voice Rexi knew. The other must have been an ogre. _

_She tried to move, to open her eyes, but she couldn't. What was wrong with her brother? What had happened? Why couldn't she move? Had someone attacked the team while she had been hibernating from the pain of the thing her sister had placed on her? If that was it then she could only blame herself. _

"_Don't worry Rexi, we'll find your sister and force her to get this fixed." came Koenma's voice, right next to her head. _

"Don't worry about it Domica, you did the right thing." she heard this time. It wasn't a dream any more. She tried to push herself up, but her doctor, Doctor Tyulin Guie, was next to her, pushing her back down. 

"Hush Rexi. You need to rest. You had another episode." the calm voice came and she opened her eyes. Her eyes focused on Domica and Dr. Guie. "You are lucky your sister was home. She got you up here and preformed CPR until I was able to get here. You owe her your life." She smiled at her sister and fell back asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"_Her body is still deteriorating, Lord Koenma. It seems the injection that Chime introduced to her body has only quickened the process." _

"_And we still haven't found Domica? I want the rest of the guards looking for her!" The sound of feet stomping out to carry out the order. "How long?"  
><em>

"_Her lungs are shutting down. Blood is filling them. We-" _

"Hey there sweety, welcome back to the living." Kuronue said softly, stroking her hair back. "We came as soon as Chime texted us."

Rexi opened her eyes as his words brought her out of the strangest dream she could ever imagine. Her eyes registered first Kuronue and then further up and behind was Suichi. She pulled the covers of her bed up around her chin. It was then that his words registered. "Wait what did Chime text you?" she demanded, sitting up. A wave of dizziness fell over her but she pushed it off. She had tried too hard to keep her problems secret from Kuronue. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Her school uniform was off to the side of the bed and she looked down under the blanket. Her cheeks were a fiery red as she realized the kind doctor had stripped her to her underwear and bra. Unintentionally he had left her in a very compromising position. She understood why. He had to check to make sure the rest of her wasn't getting infected with the illness. But right now she had really hoped her sister would have dressed her again before letting her boyfriend the boy she was being forced to work with in.

"Just that you collapsed." Kuronue said pushing her hair back.

Rexi sighed and smiled up at him. "Yeah. Like I said I hadn't eaten like a good little girl and I was getting tired. I bet it was just because of that that it happened. Thankfully I was just getting home or I might have been in an accident." she said.

Suichi watched as the two continued to talk. This wasn't a place he wanted to be. Just then Dr. Guie came in and smiled. "Oh hello. You must be Kuronue. And you are?" He asked, holding his hand out to Suichi. He couldn't place it, but the man gave him the creeps in a big way. Almost as if he had seen him before and he had done something horrible.

"I'm Suichi Minamino. I'm Kuronue's friend and school project partner with Rexi." Suichi finally said, taking the hand and shaking it briskly. "I was with Kuronue when Chime told him what happened. I couldn't well go home when I might have to explain to a teacher that my partner is sick."

"I am not!" Rexi said, looking at Suichi with a 'what do you know of it' look. "I just have to take it easy , eat right, and not pull any more stupids."

"Well I have to say that if stupids gets you to bring over such hansom men sis, you are more than welcome." came Domica's voice from the doorway. She was smiling at Suichi and he got the feeling that she would eat him if given the chance. "Wanna introduce us sis?"

"Sure if you leave long enough for me to get dressed." Rexi cried, holding the covers closer to her body. She had never had this many people in her room before and had never been so close to being naked in front of them. She'd had horrible nightmares about going to school naked but that had been freshmen year and everyone had those nightmares.

Dr. Guie chuckled and nodded. "I suppose that would be a good idea. Why don't you two boys wait downstairs? I need to have a final check of her to make sure that she's feeling better." he instructed.

Domica led the two young boys down to the living room and then went back into the hallway. She was positive that neither of the 'real' people in this dream remembered her past actions. Neither Kurama nor Rexi. She had to make sure that stayed that way until Rexi died. Then she might just have a little fun at her expense again. She smiled. Oh she had some definite plans.

Dr. Guie started to check up the girl's body before smiling down at her. "You seem to be doing just fine right now. Just remember to take your medicine and do -"

"Do not over stress." She recited, laughing as she pushed herself from the bed. She had grown up with this doctor and he'd seen parts of her that no one else had. She had no reason to feel bashful around him. The other boys, yes, she would hide her body, but in front of Doctor Guie? No. She walked across the room and started to dig through the closet to find some clothes that weren't school wear. Finally she pulled out a black t-shirt with 'Flogging Molly' and a green three leaf clover on it and a pair of black sweat pants.

Doc Guie's eyes followed the girl's movements before he exited the room and joined Domica at the front do. "She's progressing poorly." he said softly, so that the girl wouldn't overhear. "If she doesn't keep remembering to take her pills she may not live out the week." He left after Domica, with a sad face, nodded.

Suichi, unseen by either, stood in the living room, just within earshot. A week? What was going on? She didn't look like she was dying. Suichi didn't like this, but he wouldn't tell his friend. That was up to Rexi. Despite the animosity that they felt for each other, he was almost sad. She had been his best friends girlfriend since sophomore year.

Domica saw him standing there, looking trouble and smiled at him. "Suichi, is everything okay?"

He looked over at Kuronue and stepped out of the room so he could join her. "What is really going on with Rexi?" he asked. He wanted a clinical answer but the doctor was already gone. Maybe if he asked her, she would be able to tell him.

"Nothing. She's just not been feeling good lately and it's taking its toll on her. You needn't worry about her, though it's sweet that you are." She replied before turning and walking up the stairs. "Rexi, your friends are still here. IF you don't come entertain them I might just have to!" she called.

"You'll leave them alone!" The girl called as she went down the stairs two at a time. "I'll be right there Kuronue." She headed into the kitchen, oblivious to Suichi who followed her in. She started to search around for the pill bottle.

"You aren't just getting over a cold. I may not know you, nor am I a doctor, but it's fair obvious to me that you are suffering from something other than just that." Suichi said, leaning in the doorway. He watched her carefully. She jumped, turning to stare at him. She hadn't heard him behind her at all, too intent on finding her pills and being able to hang out with Kuronue some more if they weren't busy.

She didn't know why, but she had the sudden urge that she could trust him with the truth. She turned back and started to look for the pills again. When she found them, they were behind the toaster of all places, she took two out and threw the bottle at Suichi. As he read the label, she searched through the fridge for a drink and pushed herself up onto the sink. She saw the look of pity cross Suichi's face as he realized what was wrong with her.

She laughed scornfully. "And you see why I don't just tell everyone about it? I don't want pity Suichi. I'm going to beat this—this illness and that's that." She told him scarfing down the water and pills quickly.

"That disease is eating you from the outside." He said, pointing out the obvious. "You'll never beat it."

She blinked. She'd expected him to point out that she would. Or say he was sorry she had it , or one of so many other different thingies that others had said once they found out. But the truth wasn't one of them. She was about to thank Suichi for his honesty when Kuronue joined them. 

"What's this? You all are having a secret meeting without me?" he asked, walking over to kiss the girl on the lips. "How are you feeling?"

Suichi slipped the pills onto the counter silently and leaned against the opposite counter. "No. I just asking if I could get a drink." he said, once more surprising the girl. He wasn't as much of an asshole as she might have though. At least not when it came to Kuronue.

"I'm feeling better. I'll feel better once I know if I really do get to dress up for a party for Suichi." she said, smiling up at Kuronue. "Or were you thinking this weekend for the party?" Kuronue smirked and looked over at Suichi.

"It seems you are getting a party after all pal! And she makes some amazing parties." he pointed out before leaning back down and kissing her gently once more. "Your parents are out this weekend right?"

"Yes." Suichi said cautiously. As much as he wouldn't mind a party, the fact that Kuronue wanted no parents to be there scared him. He'd been to a non-supervised party before that Kuronue had hosted and it had gotten a little bit strange.

"We can hold the party then. If you want I can come over tomorrow morning and we can start decorating. Tomorrow night would be the best since most everyone's free on Sundays." Rexi pointed out. She wanted to repay him for not telling Kuronue by giving him a party to remember. It was no small thing not to tell your best friend that his girlfriend might die on him sometime soon.

Kuronue and the girl watched Suichi as he debated whether or not to allow them to create a party at his house. He sighed, looking away. "Fine. Come over whenever you want. I'm normally up by six anyway." He agreed.

Rexi smiled and nodded, "Okay Suichi. Don't you worry about it. It'll all be taken care of." she replied. "What kind of theme do you want? You'll be turning 18 and all."

Suichi rolled his eyes. What was up with girls and thinking their always had to have a theme? "All I really want is a small party okay?"

"Small, got it. Anything else?" she asked.

"No." Suichi said and wrote his address down on a piece of paper her found. "This is my address. If I don't answer when you ring the doorbell walk around back. I'll most likely be busy back there. The gate'll be unlocked." He handed it to them and started to leave.

"Where are you going bud? Aren't we going to hang out a little before you decide to disappear back to your home?" Kuronue asked, seeming disappointed. They had been in the middle of hanging out before he'd gotten the text about Rexi and had been hoping to let her rest the rest of the day and return to hanging out with Suichi.

"No. You need to stay with Rexi. She might need you." Suichi said, forcing a smile as he waves over his shoulder. He was stopped just by the door by Domica.

"Suichi, have a nice day." She said, giving him a wolfish grin. "Oh and have a happy birthday." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before turning and going back upstairs.

To say he was surprised was nothing. She had just stolen his first kiss. He stood their for a good minute before shaking his head and leaving. This was a strange family, that was for sure.

Kuronue didn't leave until Rexi's parents returned at six that evening. When they heard what had happened to their daughter they promptly asked him to leave, and confined her to her room until she was pronounced fine by Dr. Guie who they insisted on calling back to the house to do another round of tests. She was given a muscle relaxer and told to get some sleep.

As her eyes closed she entered the same dream that she had been having off and on all day.

"_Is there anything new?" Koenma's voice._

"_No. But it seems that the injection did stop the pain. The weird thing is is that there are no pain brain waves. They've been replaced by deep REM sleep as if she were dreaming something but couldn't get out." Must be a nurse. Her subconscious mind said. _

"_Sir, we got her!" came a new voice—not new, just not one she'd heard before now. Yusuke? Was that his name? It seemed so familiar, like that movie had been. _

_A dark chuckle. "You'll never wake her up. She'll die and then Kurama will wake up. Poor Kurama. Now he'll see what it feels like to watch as his lover dies-" SMACK_

"_Botan!" Koenma again_

"_You'll reverse this!" A girl's voice. _

"_Never." _

"_Botan don't!" Sobbing from the girl as she tried to do something but was kept from it. _

"_She'd just found who she loved! How could you do that to your own family?" Botan's again. _

"_Because Choucho doesn't deserve happiness. She never will." _

_The voices started to fade. Rexi reached out for them, running towards the light at the end of the tunnel where the voices were. She tripped and the light vanished and she was back to sleep. _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next morning at 7:00 a.m., Rexi found herself standing outside a late style Victorian mansion, looking from the piece of paper to the house in disbelief. Who was this kid to live in such a beautiful place and yet not bring people over to see it? She stuffed the paper into her jean pocket next to her cell phone and went up to the front door. She rang the door bell and then waited. It took her five more times before she remembered the instructions for if he didn't answer.

She stepped off the porch and went around the back to the large fence. Finding the latch quickly, she opened the back fence and entered one of the most beautiful places she could have though twas on Earth. She stared around as she walked through a maze of plants. On all sides there were one species of plant or another.

Her mouth was hanging open when she found Suichi. In fact she almost ran over him. She had been staring at a rose bush that was in front of her. Of all the flowers, one stood out. It was a silvery white. A sense of deja vu hit her just as Suichi said her name. She looked around and then down. Kneeling on the ground in blue jeans and a white shirt was Suichi. His shirt was dirty and his right hand was patting down earth. His left was underneath her right foot and if she had stepped forward again she would have ended up kicking him in the mouth.

"Oh my!" She said and stumbled back, getting off his fingers as quickly as possible. "I am so sorry!" She watched as he rose and checked his fingers by flexing them to make sure that none were broken. "I'm sorry, I got distracted by all the flowers. It's just so beautiful. Did you plant them all?" Her gaze went back to stare at the flowers. There was even an old round gazebo surrounded by hedges and rose bushes.

Suichi wiped his hands off on his jeans and nodded. "Yes. My mother planted some of the older plants but when she couldn't take care of them any longer I learned to and I've added the rose bushes. You are earlier than I thought. I figured you wouldn't show up until around noon or so." He said, before leading the way through the waist high pushes to the house. "Most of the party is going to being the house right? I don't want people ruining the plants."

"Oh but it would be beautiful if we could have a little walkway leading out to the gazebo." She said, following, walking backwards half the way as she played out different decoration layouts in her mind.

"Will you sister be here?" He asked suddenly, bringing her attention back to him. "If she is, then I'm locking the door to that Gazebo." He had a weird look on his face and she could only guess at what was causing that.

"Excuse me? My sister? No, this is only for people from our class. I sent the invitations out before my parents got home last night. It starts at 7 this evening, I hope you don't mind." She said.

"Good. Your sister, don't take this the wrong way, is a bit weird" Suichi told her, recounting the strange kiss that had happened before he had left, leaving out the first kiss part of course.

Rexi heard him out and then started to laugh. "That sounds like Domica. And to a guy underage, that's not new either. I'm sorry. But wait until you meet my brother Chime and you won't have any complaints about Domica." she told him as she looked around the inside. She could imagine all sort of ways to decorate the place. "You know, I was wondering. I'm going to need your help with decorating. If you want I can help you in the garden until you are done and then we can come do this. And I'm going to need time to think about how to make the house ready to withstand us."

Suichi was about to show her where to start decorating for his unwilling birthday party when she suggested it. He did still need to water the plants. And that would take a bit by himself. "All right. Fine. You can water the plants I suppose if you really want to." he said and led the way back out to where the water hose was. He watched over as she started to spray the plants with water. He was surprised to see that she knew exactly how to spray the plants without damaging them.

"You are a natural." He told her softly, turning to go back to his own work.

Rexi turned, pointing the water at the base of a tree so she wouldn't waste the water. "Thank you." She said, letting the hose rest on the ground to feed the tree as she reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "I wanted to say thank you for... For not telling Kuronue. And for, for not making it out like I was going to be okay."

Suichi stopped and turned to look at her. He crossed his arms in front of him and watched her with emotionless eyes. This stretched on for a few minutes before Rexi started to get flustered. She turned to go back to watering the different plants.

"You aren't going to tell him then?" Suichi asked as she picked up the hose.

"No. He doesn't need to know that I'm probably going to die before I'm twenty. That's what the doctor says at least. And that's if I lead a stress free life. And with college-"

"That's kind of selfish don't you think? Letting Kuronue think you two are going to be together forever. He thinks that you know?"

Rexi closed her eyes and let her head hang. "I never told him that I would be there forever. Everyone has to die eventually. My day is just coming sooner."

"The doctor's lying to you, you know? I heard him tell your sister that if you didn't take your medicine and work on relaxing, you'd not live past next week." Suichi blurted out. He had wrestled with the idea of her dying the whole night before. Should he tell her, should he not, should he tell Kuronue so he could get over the death now and spend every moment he could with her alive? All those questions had plagued him and he'd gotten a bad night sleep too. She froze before him; he could see it from the set position of the girls shoulders.

Rexi turned to look at him and forced a grin onto her face. While the idea of her death had always haunted her because of her condition, she hadn't believed she would die before her own eighteenth birthday. "Well then I suppose I should live every moment to the fullest huh?" She asked, showing the most cheerful side she could. Silence grew between them as she moved away to water more plants. She didn't let him see the single tear run from her eye as she waters a patch of violets. She was glad she'd taken her pill that morning.

After she had showered everything in sight with water, she turned it off and found Suichi putting his tools away. "All done. I'm going to head in and start planning." She said cheerfully. He could tell that it was a false happiness, but he didn't say anything. He had seemingly already cracked her normal bubble of mortality. He didn't want to ruin the rest of the day for her.

"All right. I'll show you the room that I'd prefer most people would stay in." he told her and led her inside again. He turned on the light in the living room and in a connected room where there was a pool table. "These two rooms if you don't mind. And I'll help you get the breakable stuff upstairs." He wasn't going to treat her any differently. He wasn't going to treat her as if she were breakable. If he did, it would only make the situation more awkward between them.

"Damn I hate saying this, especially to you, but thank you again." she said, turning to look at him as he turned to go. "I said yesterday that I hate it when people pity me. I'm glad you have the balls to tell me the truth. Not many people do." She turned and started to work.

Suichi smiled and went up to wash the dirt off his hands and face from working in the sun and dirt during their mornings silence. As he was coming down the stairs, the door bell rang and he went to get it. "Oh Kuronue, you are early!" he said, opening the door for Kuronue to enter.

"Yeah I thought I'd come by and help Rexi move stuff around. Don't want her getting over stressed and all again." Kuronue said. "You get your present at the party Suichi." He walked past him and went into the living room and game room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rexi ran and gave Kuronue a hug with a laugh. "Glad you could make it!" she said. All signs that she wasn't well were hidden as Kuronue came in and Suichi followed. The red head shook his head at the way she could cover up everything in front of Kuronue but not when he was around. He wondered if he really liked knowing that she was going to die? Maybe that was what pulled his attention at her. With everyone else she was the happy, nice, polite girl and with him she was snarky and didn't care what he thought of her. He had to admit that all he wanted for his birthday was something he would never get.

He turned away to let the two lovebirds play as he went to clean and lock most of the doors in the house, leaving the guest bedroom open so that they could put the breakable objects in there. When he returned Kuronue was pushing the large sofa to the side with ease as Rexi was picking up a vase. She looked at him as she heft the weight. "Where do you want these things?" she asked, meaning breakables. He led her up the stairs, guiding her with a hand on her elbow.

Suichi told her to go ahead and put it on the bed before he walked back downstairs. While the part would be great to have a potluck he didn't trust his classmates not to bring some illegal substance so he offered to do all the cooking for party favors and such. Rexi laughed and nodded. "That'll be fun! Make little sausages if you can!" she called as he went off to the kitchen to begin his own projects for the day.

When she returned to the living room, Kuronue had just plopped in some music and turned it up. They worked on getting most of the stuff out of the way and within two hours they had gotten all of the good, rich things out of the way. Then a slow song came on and Rexi found Kuronue's hands slip around her waist. She turned and they started to dance. It was a fun, slow song that kept them entertained for another five mintues as it played out. As it ended their lips locked and they eventually found themselves sitting on the couch, Rexi on Kuronue's lap.

Coughing, Suichi brought them out of their own little world. They looked at the clock and it was already noon. Rexi cursed. They had so much stuff to get done. And she still had to go home and get cleaned up herself for the party. She jumped off Kuronue's lap and got back to cleaning and organizing the two rooms. Only her stomach which was growling for food caught Kuronue's attention did they break up for the lunch.

Suichi offered to cook but the other two declined and sent Kuronue after some food—Panda Express seemed to be Rexi's craving for the day.

"I don't see how you two can stand to eat that stuff." Suichi groaned as their friend pulled out of the driveway.

"Because it's good. Now. I'm going to go put these plates out on the dining room table. I figure that's a perfect place to put the party food." She replied as she pulled some bags of chips and a few plates from the cupboards before going into the connected dining room.

Everything was going great. She hadn't had a spasm all day. She was feeling as high as a kite from their recent make out session. The only thing that would make this day the best day in her very short life would be a visit from Santa to cure her from her condition. Which wasn't ever going to happen, but hey. One who had such a short lifetime was allowed to believe in Santa Claus right?

Suichi was pulling a tray of baked cookies out of the oven when the crash of plates on hardwood floor and a cry of pain resonated throughout the house. He put the tray down quickly and rushed to the dining hall. She had curled up into a tight ball, her hands holding onto her legs. Pain radiated from her as Suichi knelt next to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked, worry crossing his face as he reached out to touch her leg. A cry of pain loud enough to make him wince was the result. He went back into the kitchen and threw some towels into the sink and drenched them with warm water. When they were hot to the touch, he drained one but kept the others in the water so that they would be warm when they needed new ones. He pulled her hands out. "Okay hold on, this is definitely going to hurt." he told her and placed the warm cloth over her right thigh. She screamed again as the water soaked in and touched the leg.

For a split second she was unconscious as the pain hit her unsuspectingly.

"_She's having a convulsion! Someone get a healer in here!" Came a voice a few feet above her. "Her legs started to twitch and we couldn't get them to stop then the rest of her body did." And then a warm feeling over came her. _

Her eyes opened as she saw Suichi over her, pressing a warm washcloth to her leg to try and get the muscles to relax. He had put some up and down both her legs. He looked so worried but didn't seem to notice that she was awake. Again. She tried to breath, and focus solely on the breathing. Her legs had cramped before but never to his extent. She hated this. Why couldn't the illness just kill her swiftly? Why did it have to be such a drawn out one?

"Hush." He said, wiping a few tears off her face with a very gentle finger. "IF you relax it'll go away quicker." His green eyes were for once kind to her. This wasn't the Suichi she knew. For a moment she thought of the movie where there had been demons and humans and spirits and she was reminded of her dream. Despite their incompatibility personalities, She'd want him there. In that world if it was possible.

"Why do you want to go to science university?" She forced. She had to get her mind off the pain. It was the only way she could get it to stop. At least it always worked before.

"Huh? I want to be a doctor." He told her, "A scientist that finds ways to prevent disease in plants. So that famine won't be a problem again."

In a moment of clarity she could see it happen. "You'll do it. I know you will."

"Yes, and you'll be a great Doctor that'll find a way to make all her patients happy before they die before dying just as you find a way to help people like you." He said with a tiny bit of sarcasm in his voice. "Now come on. Don't talk like you are about to die. It was just a muscle cramp." He pulled the now cold washcloths from her legs and went to get more.

She pushed herself into a sitting position and leaned against the wall. When he came back he picked her up quickly and carried her to the living room. She protested, saying she would get it wet. She was distinctly aware of the hard muscle underneath the white shirt that Suichi wore.

"It doesn't matter, you need to get off the floor and out of the way as I finish up putting the food together." he told her, giving her a look that said don't argue for one.

She sighed as she was put on the couch, bending her knees so that most of the wet jeans didn't touch the nice couch. She winced as they pained her to do that. Suichi hovered over her for a moment. It was his birthday party right? Following his gut for once, he down over her and pressed his lips against hers.

She found herself being kissed by a man she had thought was a total jerk, and yet her heart was leaping as if this was what she had been waiting for her whole life. Their eyes locked.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The kiss was light, happy. It drew them both in and kept them that way for a minute. Flashing of past lives where they had been together seemed to fill them for a moment before disappearing. It felt so right and yet their minds yelled at them that it was wrong. What about Kuronue?

Despite the happy feelings that were coursing through them, Rexi pulled her head, her eyes wide. Their eyes were still locked together. The sound of the front door opening broke the contact. It only took seconds for Suichi to realize just what happened and he was gone. She was left, sitting on the couch, staring at nothing.

He ran back to the kitchen to finish the cooking away from her. The urge had been wrong. She was Kuronue's girl. He wouldn't do that. Even if she was dying of some disease and she refused to tell Kuronue. He breathed out as Kuronue entered the kitchen and put the take out on the counter.

"Hey, where's Rexi? Food's ready." Kuronue said as he saw his friend was busy cooking. "And shouldn't you take it easy on that? We don't want the next batch of cookies to be mush do we?" He was right, Suichi was devastating the batter by mixing it like he was on fire.

"Gah, sorry just got distracted. Thanks Kuronue." Suichi said, looking down at the cookie batter and started to put it on a new sheet before putting it in the oven and taking a lick off the spoon. He grinned. Peanut butter cookies were his favorite. "She's in the living room. Her legs were hurting her so I made her sit on the couch for a little bit. We don't need her passing out again."

Kuronue walked into the living room, his eyes falling on the girl who was trying to get up. "Hey there, where do you think you are going? Suichi said you weren't feeling good. Now you just stay still and direct me. I'll bring your food, you'll eat and I'll decorate as to your orders." he said, pushing her back down, putting her food on her lap.

She looked down at it and forced a smile. "Thank you Kuronue. You are the best boyfriend a girl could ask for." She said meekly, taking the plastic fork she was offered and started to scarf down the white rice first. As she ate she pointed out ways that the room could be made better. Then she brought up the idea of making a lit path from the door to the gazebo and Kuronue went to do that, having brought lights in his car. It was then that Suichi entered the living room to see the changes.

Both of their faces went red and they refused to look at each other. "You shouldn't have done that." She whispered.

"You shouldn't have let me." Suichi pointed out.

"Just stay away from me. I don't need any more complications in my life. And we don't even like each other." Rexi pointed out.

"I never said-" He started before stopping. That was a conversation for another time. "Never mind. You are right. Are your legs feeling better?"

The kiss had made her completely forget about her legs actually so she supposed a good thing had come from it. "Much better." She said. By this time it was already four o'clock. "Tell Kuronue that I'm going home to get changed for the party. I'll be back around 6:30 to finalize some of the things that are going on." She also had to pick up a cake. Or she could make one. She had to decide whether she felt like further encouraging something that shouldn't be happening.

She pushed herself off the couch and went outside where her bike was. She worried about her legs cramping up if she rode it again, but she pushed it back. That's what cell phones were for. Before Suichi could stop her, she jumped on and rode the short three blocks to her house.

Thankfully her sister wasn't there this time, but her brother. It took him all of three seconds to guess what had happened from the blush and the wide eyed look that he got when he asked was the setting up. "He kissed you didn't he?" He asked, laughing. "Now I must really go. This is going to be an entertaining night."

"Shut it Chime! It isn't going to happen again! It can't." She yelled, stomping up to her room.

"Why not?" he asked, following him up. "You haven't dated anyone but Kuronue. What happens when you two break it off to go to separate colleges? Are you going to hold out for him forever? Or are you going to possible date the one other guy that has the hots for you? Of course, if you are sure you don't want him, I can always try and take him off your hands. Do you think there's a chance he might like men too?"

Rexi gasped to answer him back before turning away to look through her closet again. She had been planning on doing a long distant relationship, but everyone she told her plan too thought it was a bad idea. No one supported it. Suichi might have before this insanity had started.

"Wear the white dress. You always looked good in white." Chime said, leaning against the dresser across the room from her, his head tilted. "Sister, you aren't planning for the future are you?" His face grew serious. He had seen this in her before. She got so wrapped up in the present, fulfilling her needs at that moment, she forgot that she was going to easily live until college's first year. He was one of her optimistic friends and family members.

"I just want to have fun tonight Chime. I don't want to think about who might be interested in me and who won't in a year. But I would like to have you there tonight." she said, pulling out a white skirt and a black top. "What do you think? Simplistic enough to get away with?"

"If you want to look like you just broke out of jail sure. Listen Rexi you should go with the white dress with the gold designs on it." he said, walking over and putting the clothes she held in the closet and brought out the one he was talking about. It went to her knees in front before falling in waves behind her. Strapless, it hung on her body in a beautiful way. Or so he thought. She could pull this off if she gave enough effort. "Now, go take a bath, and take a nap. I'll wake you up at 5:30 and you can get dressed and do your hair and everything else." He laid the dress out on her bed and shoved her towards the bathroom.

"And think about your future!" he called after her.

Rexi sighed and drew a bath quickly before hoping in and laying back. Her blond hair swam around her as she dunked her head under. She giggled as it tickled her neck and she sat up. Doing a quick wash she leaned back and let the conditioner sit in her hair. She leaned back and closed her eyes, the warm water lulling her to sleep.

"_You are going to fix whatever you've done to your sister Domica." Koenma was saying. _

Domica? What was Domica doing in her dream?

"_Oh suck on your pacifier some more and maybe the world roll over for you you stupid brat." That was her sister all right. _

"_What are you wishing to accomplish?" This voice was familiar too but she couldn't place it. "We killed Guie. Well, actually, he's probably still wasting away in Yoko's sinning tree. Is seeing your sister die really in your best interest? If you kill her, when Yoko wakes up, and believe me, he will, he will make you wish you had never taken your first breath as a baby. And he won't do it the easy way like he did with the sinning tree. He has many ways that'll take longer and are a whole lot worse." _

That didn't sound pleasant.

"_Oh, you just don't understand do you? She is going to die a slower and more painful death because of what Yoko did to my lover Guie. She's stuck in a dream you see. That's what I did. You want to know well here it is! She's stuck in a dream. One where Kuronue is still alive. Where there are no demons. She has no powers. Maze isn't even a factor in her life. All four of them are stuck in that dream living out a normal peaceful life. Only she's going to die in that dream. And the moment she dies in that dream that blasted Fox will wake, knowing exactly what happened. And he'll be too late to save her." Domica snapped. "He'll live the rest of his life knowing the pain I do. That was an added bonus. Because my sister is dying a worse death than if she was awake here. I control the dream. I make her illness do things to her that make her wish she could go and stab herself to make it end. And you can't stop it. You never will be able to until she's dead." _

She sat up in the water. Her eyes were wide with shock. What had that just been? Memories—the Dark Tournament, Sleeping with Yoko all those years ago, Yoko turning into Suichi—they all came flying back. And she was confused as hell.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

She sat in the bath as she tried to process her memories. It was like a doorway had opened and she was this demon who worked for Koenma again. She remembered the love she had felt towards Yoko, and then the interest that had blossomed once she had started to protect Kurama—Suichi. She shook her head and tried to put it out of her mind as a dream while she washed out her hair. But then when she looked in the mirror, she knew that it wasn't a dream.

She slammed out of the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her. She marched to her sister's room and kicked in the door. It had all the things she 'remembered' being there. She then turned and pushed her way into Chime's room where he stood trying to decide his own outfit for the nights part. His eyes widened as he saw his half naked sister.

"Where is Domica?" she demanded. Her voice had taken on an angry tone that he'd never heard in his sister.

"She went this morning, saying something about a birthday present for Suichi. You aren't... Going to go dressed like that are you?" Her brother asked. She looked down at herself. She hadn't even remembered that all she was wearing was the towel. She spun and ran to her room. She was tempted to just pull on some jeans and go kick some butt. She chewed her finger and finally pulled the dress on. She'd have to go back to Suichi's party after all. No reason to go looking like trash.

"Rexi, are you okay? You look like someone just bit you in the butt." Chime asked, walking in after he heard the throwing of shoes as she tried to find a suitable 'butt kicking' pair. She looked at a pair of converse and set them aside. She threw a pair of heels over her head that landed next to him. "Those would look good with the dress."

She turned on him, crouching their. Her hair was around her tangled and in wet waves. She looked like a woman about to go wild. In five minutes she explained everything she had heard and remembered. When he started to laugh, she launched herself at him. She tackled him to the ground, straddling his stomach. "You will not laugh at me brother." She snarled, her eyes feral. "If you don't believe me then it's your own fault. You don't deserve to be called a Ysandi if you fall for this. What would happen if Limrin came in right now and told you all this?"

"Who's Ysandi? What's a Limrin?" Chime asked, trying to keep a serious face as his chest shook from held in laughter.

She cried out in frustration. It was useless. If he wouldn't believe her, then who would? Her mind flashed to Suichi. And then to Kuronue. Her heart gave a little. She had been so happy to think she was with Kuronue again. How would she be able to explain that to Kurama? She turned away and held her hand, trying to figure it all out. She was starting to get a headache. The implanted memories and the real memories were blurring together and the implanted memories were trying to win. They demanded almost all of her attention.

She pulled on the Converse shoes, much to the dismay of Chime. "Come on sis! Those don't match at all." he cried, pointing to the black shoes and the white dress she had pulled on.

She ignored him and handed him the address to the party. "Be there brother. I'm sure you'll have fun. I'll meet you there." She said before stalking out of the house. She looked around and decided the best way to get there would be to walk. First because the skirt would should anyone. And second because it would give her time to figure out what she wanted to say to Suichi to get him to remember.

It took her thirty minutes to get there. She checked her phone which she had slide down the front of her chest to rest between her breasts in her bra. 5:45. She stalked up towards the Victorian house. She looked around to make sure that the brown truck that Kuronue drove wasn't there before trying the door bell. No answer.

She walked around the side and opened the gate and went into the beautiful garden. It had been transformed into a little get away for couples. Lights corded off the way to the Gazebo. As her eyes fell on the gazebo, she jerked. Suichi stood there, looking around calmly in a black dress shirt and matching black pants. He looked so hansom she realized.

Slowly she walked forward, through the walkway, and climbed the three steps up to the platform of the gazebo. "Suichi." she said, bringing him back from wherever he was. He had been staring out at the garden and hadn't seemed to see her near. "You look really good."

He watched her before a moment to see if she was pulling something on him and then smiled meekly. "Thank you." he said, turning to leave. "Aren't you a bit early-"

She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him back with all of her now human strength. Her hands went up to capture his face as she leaned up and tried to kiss him. His own hands went up to stop her. He was a light pink again. She stopped her advance and looked up at him, confusing evident on her face. "But-"

"I know that I fell into that temptation earlier. And I am sorry if that gave you the wrong idea or anything. But, you were right, I feel nothing for you. It was a heat of the moment thing. I'm sorry." he apologized before pulling from her and walked back to the house, entering and closing the door behind him. His shoulder's that he had held straight sagged. Why, for the love of all things good, did he have to have a moral compass? He should have taken advantage of the moment and gotten his birthday wish. Instead he through the house, making sure nothing breakable was within arms reach of any of the areas people were allowed.

She stood there stunned. For a moment she had forgotten that they lived in a dream world where Kurama felt nothing for her. Except that wasn't true. He'd kissed her earlier. That had to have come from somewhere. She followed him up to the house before stopping. He didn't remember any of this. Maybe it would be better? She had only been a complication in his life since the Dark Tournament. She looked through the glass door that led into the house. She could be happy with the time given her right? Sure her sister would win, but Kurama would be allowed to live if she just went through this dream and let herself die. That was her mission after all—protect Kurama to the end.

She entered the house though and went to finish up decorations. The two of them worked in silence as they each tried to decide what to do. Finally they were stuck with no more busy work to do and they had run into each other in the hallway. Kurama's green eyes bore into her. Her jaw set.

The tension broke as they started to near. He found the way her hair, while still a little bit tangled, was drying beautiful. She found how his green eyes sparkled in the lights that danced over head. An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close against Kurama's body. He leaned down and kissed her for the second time that day. Her arms wrapped around his neck. They were lost in each other arms.

Suichi pushed her back against the wall and continued to kiss her, his right hand going up to cup her face. Slowly he began to kiss down her neck, finding all the sensitive spots making her shiver against him.

"Oh Kurama." she whispered, realizing her mistake just as she made it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Suichi's lips stopped on the skin of her neck. The hand that was keeping him from squishing her against the wall by pushing against it curled into a fist. So that was the game she was playing. He pulled away, his bangs hiding his face from her as he tried to fight back the disappointment. He put a knowing look on as he stepped back from the girl that had so coldly played with his heart. She reached up to pull him back. He swatted her hands away and looked up at her, feeling in control of his emotions at last.

"So who put you up to it?" he asked. He leaned back against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. "Or am I supposed to believe they are a side affect of your medication?"

She felt the words stab her. "Suichi wait, please hear me out." She said, stepping towards him again, reaching to take the front of his shirt in her hands just to be swatted away again. She stammered out the story. As she heard herself say it, she knew that it was the craziest story anyone had ever told anyone else to explain weird behavior.

It was no surprise then that he raised an eyebrow and a humorless grin filled his lips. "So you want me to believe that you aren't sleeping around on my best friend. That I am a demon of some sorts hiding here in the human world. And that was who you called Kurama?" he asked.

"Yes." She replied, putting on the most serious face she could. How could he not believe her after the kiss they had just shared? Wasn't that enough to waken him a little? "Let me kiss you again. Please."

A cough from the doorway caught and drew their attention. Kuronue stood there, looking as if he'd walked in on a very wrong situation and he was trying to figure out what to say first. "Someone had better have gotten you drunk Rexi." He finally said, closing the door behind him. The wrapped gift in his hand was put on a table near the door as he came to the two of them. Fury filled his eyes, though he tried to smother it. This was all just a bad dream. It had to be. Not only had his best friend double crossed him, but his girlfriend had pleaded with him to let her kiss him again.

_No. This can't be happening_. One side of her cried inside her. That was the side that had worked so hard to keep Kuronue happy. That was the side of her that loved this life despite the illness. It was the side that wanted nothing more than to forget this demon business and go back to how it had been.

_It was too late for that. _Choucho said that. Rexi looked between the angered Kuronue and the disappointed Kurama. She backed away several steps. How was she going to deal with this. Then it all seemed to freeze for her. She saw Kuronue tun his gaze at his best friend demanding to know if he had gotten her drunk.

"If she was drunk, she was already drunk when she got here. She's been raving at me about demons and crazy stuff. I didn't mean to move on your girl but she's the one that kissed me first." Suichi said, holding his hands up. "You can check the house Kuronue. There won't be a drop of liquor here. You know my parents rule on that. I'd put it on her medication. Those drugs that keep bodies from disintegrating sure can have weird side effects."

That felt like it had socked her in the gut. He was so angry at her that he'd tell Kuronue that she was dying? Her world started to crumble. She couldn't talk. Her esophagus closed off and she started to wheeze. The two men watched her as she stumbled down the hall, holding the throat. She had to get water. She had to calm down. She got to the sink and started to gag. She had to—Had to get the blood out of her lungs. She had to calm down. All sorts of warnings replayed in her mind from Dr Guie. Relaxation. Calm. Serenity. Don't stress over small things.

How could she not stress over this? She noticed that as she tried to drink water from the faucet, neither of the boys came to help her. She coughed as she slid to the ground. Saliva and a small amount of blood dripped from her mouth onto the white fabric of her dress. She leaned her forehead against the cabinets, trying to calm herself. When she was able to breath, she heard the two in the hallway agreeing to throw her out and how she had to be the worse actress they had ever met. She wiped her mouth on her palm and pushed herself up.

She stumbled to the back door. She couldn't let them see her this way. They'd just hate her more. She left a bloody palm print on the door handle and the door open as she stumbled out to hide behind one of the bushes. Breathing was not coming easy for her. She kept coughing blood out so she could get more air. It felt like she was drowning. As she heard steps nearing her hiding spot, she got up and shuffled quickly away, one hand pressing against her chest.

"Where are you Rexi. You need to go home now. You aren't welcome at my house anymore." Suichi's voice came.

He turned his attention as she came out behind a bush. He paused as she looked at him with the look of someone who had been wounded more than simply by being caught at doing something that was bad. Then he marched forward and grabbed her arm and started to drag her towards the house. Kuronue waited there, his dark eyes not showing anything as he watched Kurama roughly handle his soon to be ex-girlfriend.

"I know how to walk." She gasped out, yanking her arm away from Suichi. Maybe if she could stall long enough someone else who she could convince would show up? No. The only other one that she knew that would know was her brother and his reaction showed that he wouldn't remember nor believe her. "Just remember what I said Kurama. Remember what it was like to be able to grow things with your mind. With your spirit power."

He rolled his eyes as Kuronue walked forward. "Go inside Suichi. I'm going to talk to her." He said, dragging her with him none too gently towards the gazebo. She gasped as she was dragged away from the one real person she knew existed. She looked back and him as if asking for help but he was already heading in. She looked up at Kuronue as he tossed her onto one of the seats under the gazebo's roof. "Have I not made you one of the most happiest girls in school?" He demanded, turning his anger on her. "Haven't I made you happy? Why did you have to go and do that with Suichi of all people? You hate him! I know you two don't get along."

"I had to." She said, her head lowering. Her dress was ruined she noticed. There was blood splatter from her coughs all over it. "You wouldn't understand. You aren't real. You aren't alive. You died when Yoko took you with him on a raid."

He snorted. "I am very much alive. Have you been smoking something? I'll understand if that's what is making you say these crazy things."

It would be easy, her mind said, to admit she had had a little of something on the way there to calm her nerves about the party. She could play that it was all just a high trip that she was taking and start laughing. But she could play drunk than she could at being scared of her sister. She didn't fear her sister. She hated her. She would make sure that-

"Oh thank goodness you found her." Chime called, running through the back door towards them. His dark eyes ran over Kuronue like they always did. "She's been acting this way since she got out of the tub I was hoping that she hadn't gotten into any trouble. We gave her some new medicine before she took a bath and we think the steam mixed with it has given her some hallucinations." He explained quickly, smiling at Kuronue in a way that would make anyone believe him. "Suichi has already agreed to let her sleep it off in one of the bedrooms. Maybe she'll remember the _truth_" he stressed, "Once she's had a nap."

Rexi frowned, staring at her brother. Huh? What was he talking about? New medication? She decided to play along and grinned at her brother. "Oh! And he was a genie!" She said seriously, pointing at her brother who was trying very hard not to roll his eyes. Really? A genie? That was all she could think of? Did he LOOK like someone could be a genie? He hoped not. That would kill anyone's interest in him. "He refused to give me three wishes when I pointed out what he really was." she confided to Kuronue.

Chime helped her up out of the seat and then continued to help her into the house and up the stairs. When they were alone in Suichi's room which was the only one he could unlock and get cleaned quickly enough, Chime dropped her on the bed and turned to close the door. "Okay, first of all, a genie? Really? Even to demons those are mythical. Second off, you did pretty well at playing hallucinated just then. Third of all, is it true that you were caught begging Kurama to let you kiss him?" he asked, turning his full attention on his sibling.

After thinking about her story while he had gotten ready for the party, he had answered the doorbell, figuring it was the sister that was so 'evil'. Only it had been Limrin and at the sight of each other they had known instantly that this was not the real world. Of course the reason it had taken them so long to come and save her from a bad situation was because they had kinda... been involved in some... Inappropriate behavior right there in the doorway. Limrin waited downstairs, slightly angry that he could no longer change into a butterfly or feel what Chime was feeling.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

She watched as her brother seemed to get preoccupied in some memory or another that she could only assume has something to do with Limrin. She never saw a more goofy grin on his face than when he had been with Limrin. She made a small cough to bring him down from Planet Memory.

"Wanna help me by telling me just how you are remembering all this and why I should believe that you are? You were so sure of yourself that I must have just had a silly dream. And for all I know you want me to go to sleep so you can cart me off to some mental institution or another." she asked, folding her arms as she rose from the bed.

"Limrin. He showed up looking for directions to the art institute down the road because he was hopelessly lost." Chime said with a big smile.

"Okay hold it. You remembered each other? And I'm assuming from the smile it wasn't just a 'oh hey it's you! Oh hey it's you! We need to go save my sister because she'll be getting herself into a crap load of trouble' conversation either. That doesn't make sense though. I mean, yeah I kissed Kurama. Before begging him I might add. But I might have accidentally went a little further than kissing and why am I telling you this?" she asked as her cheeks flared up and she sat down covering her embarrassed face from her brother. "You need to get Kurama—Suichi to come up here to talk to me after I've 'slept' for a while. He didn't remember even after I kissed him. It doesn't make sense." She knew she was rambling. It wasn't her fault. After all that had happened wouldn't any other sane person be rambling right about then?

"I think you should hold off on that dear sis. He was definitely happy that you kissed him, but from what I remember of Yoko, he was also a very loyal friend. One of his problems with getting up the nerve to tell you his feelings when he was a demon was because you had been Kuronue's girl. This is as much his nightmare as yours." Chime said, remembering the conversations he had had with Yoko the demon when Rexi had gone slightly suicidal after Kuronue had died. "Now you got a good twenty minutes before the party starts and you will need to be down by Kuronue's side begging for forgiveness. We should use that time to think of a plan. We can't just go and attack Domica. We have no idea where she'll be."

Rexi had to admit, there was the problem in their plan. While it would be amazing to have all four of them up and awake and remembering before the dear old sister showed up, Rexi couldn't very well throw herself at Kurama again. Not with Kuronue there. She'd have to work on him. Chime made her lay down after that and she found that she had taken a name when twenty minutes the doorbell started to ring like crazy.

She rose from the bed and went down the hall to the stairs and started down it. Remembering to have her appalled face on, she could be a good actress when she put her mind to it, she went in search of Suichi first. The Birthday boy was easy to find. When he saw her coming, he lost the kindness in his face, ready for another round of 'dodge the crazy lady'. While what some of the things she said had sounded familiar, he hadn't been convinced. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked sheepishly, looking around as couples started to dance in the living room while others put presents on the table in the kitchen.

"Talk." Suichi said.

She winced. "Not here. I'm not going to eat your face off you know. I just, I don't want to talk about this with others around. You can get Kuronue though. In fact it would be better if you did." she said, before looking around, "I'll meet you all in the gazebo." With that she went to find Chime. She laughed when she found him and Limrin laid out on the couch fighting to see who could get on top without having to touch the floor to do it. "Chime, Limrin." She said, waving. She gave a hug to Limrin who whispered he was glad to see she remembered him and then told them her plan.

Thinking she had given Suichi enough time to gather Kuronue, she led the way out to the gazebo. She was right. Both of them waited there for her. She walked over after looking at the rose bushes and smiling. Oh this was definitely Suichi Minamino's work. She thought before joining them.

"Kuronue, Suichi." she said softly, looking at each in turn. "First I want to say that whatever you think about me is probably true. I don't deserve another chance with you Kuronue after what I tried to pull. And I don't believe that you Suichi really are a demon. Second of all Kuronue, the fact I'm dying is to blame for all this. My body is eating itself from the inside out. That's why I collapsed yesterday and why I've been pretty weak lately."

"I want to thoroughly seek your forgiveness before I go home for the night." She watched both of them. If this worked the way she thought it was going to work, she would be one lucky girl. Suichi nodded, giving her forgiveness easily enough.

"No." Kuronue said, shaking his head. "I don't buy it. You aren't dying. You are just a lying-"

"I've seen the pills Kuronue." Suichi said, looking at his friend sadly. "Yesterday while in the kitchen."

Kuronue looked at Suichi like he had grown two heads. "I don't believe either of you. This is some elaborate hoax. Where are the cameras?" He asked, putting on a grin.

"Kurama, wouldn't the real Kuronue demand retribution? Would he so willingly forgive you but not me? For all he knew, you were the one that got me drunk, but he bought it when you said that you didn't?" She asked, jumping in. "Remember what Kuronue used to be like? He'd jump off the handle at anything that challenged your or his honor? He would have hit you or something. He believed that violence between friends only made the violence more strong."

"Stop calling me Kurama." Suichi said, looking at Chime. Seeing him with Limrin clicked something in his mind. He tried to brush it off but as he looked back at the girl to argue some more, some memories started to enter his mind unbidden. As he was preoccupied with returning memories, she turned on Kuronue.

"A Ysandi that takes the blood of another demon can take their abilities if it is put into their own system willingly. Such as taking Guie's ability to shift through dreams and shift their shape. You aren't Kuronue. You can't be." She said. Without waiting for Kurama to keep her from doing it, she kicked out, sending Kuronue flying to the other side of the gazebo. She winced and stumbled back against her brother as coughs started to hit her again.

She looked up just in time to see a woman stand from where Kuronue had been. She had only seen this woman once or twice before. Her sister's Bond smirked and disappeared right in front of their eyes. This triggered the last part of Suichi's memories to return and he collapsed on the bench next to him, holding his head. 

Chime whooped. "One down one to go!" he said, before he too disappeared. Limrin vanished next too. The people inside the house suddenly went silent. She looked at Suichi who looked up at her. No longer without his memories, he stood and came to her side.

"You know, I'd almost say we pissed her off." Kurama said, looking around at the darkening house. The lights were turning off one by one and all the light they had now was the lights than ran along the pathway from the house to the Gazebo. Rexi stepped closer to Kurama as a shiver went down her spine.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Rexi's heart pounded in her head as she tried to figure out what this ploy was. It didn't seem logical to take away everyone else and leave the two strongest of them there to face off against Domica. Even if they didn't have their full powers, Kurama and she both knew how to fight with their hands and feet though they weren't the best at it. She felt a hand grab her own. She looked over at Kurama and down at their now linked hands. She squeezed it back.

"I'm glad that you remember." She whispered, her eyes going back out to the darkening night. All she could see was the path from the door to the gazebo.

Kurama refused to look at her. His own senses felt dull without his supernatural hearing and speed. His eyes were fighting to focus on anything that moved. "As am I. Rexi, promise me you—" he started before he was pulled roughly into the darkness on the other side of the gazebo railing. He grunted as he pushed against the wood. He wouldn't leave her alone. He'd fight until he died to keep her safe.

Rexi got between him and the railing. The darkness felt like liquid as she pushed against his body. She couldn't do this by herself! She needed the one person that remembered that was left. Finally he came free and they ended sprawled out. Rexi lay on top of him, his arms around her waist. She gasped for air as she pushed herself up and then looked down at Kurama.

Green eyes locked with chocolate brown as she hovered over him. She tried to pull her gaze away to look at the darkness and make sure that no one was coming towards them like some horrible horror movie. And then his hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her quickly down against him. Their lips smashed together. He rolled over and pinned her down, his lips seeking the spot he had left alone when she had called him by his real name earlier that evening. When he pulled away, he was smirking down at her.

"Well sister, I'm glad that I know you can be tempted by anyone in Yoko's human form." Came a voice a few feet away. Rexi frowned and looked away from the Kurama that was rising to his feet. His form disappeared and she pushed herself the ground. She should have known. Kurama would have never done that in this situation. Her eyes landed on Domica who lounged on the other side of the gazebo. "But what would Yoko say? Here only two days and you are already French kissing his replacement? Naughty, naughty."

Rexi pushed herself off the floor and glared at her sister who didn't seem too daunted by it. "Let me out of here you no good two timing jackass." Rexi snarled. Her body felt about on the edge of exploding.

"Is that the best you can do Choucho? After so many years, you couldn't come up with a little bit better way of cussing me out?" Domica asked, looking at her fingers as the darkness surrounded the gazebo completely, cutting them off. The only light that came through was from the small candlelight that was above them. She seemed bored and more than willing to wait for the time being.

Rexi lunged forward and forced her leg up and out at her. It rammed into the wood where she had been, breaking it a small bit. She turned and looked around. Her sister was gone. In the middle of the gazebo a knife sat. She ran over and picked it up, ready to use it against her sister if she showed up again.

A disembodied voice chuckled at her. "Dearest sister, you cannot hurt me. Not while I control your dreams. And since I added a little of my lovers blood to my own I should be able to do it long enough for you to die in here. Or you could take the short cut and kiss yourself and save yourself the pain. Swift death or a long agonizing one? It's your choice."

**With Koenma**

Koenma came running in his teenager form. The team had been gone little less an hour yet they were back with the parents of Domica, Chime and Rexi already? He spun around a corner and into the portal room. He'd sent them to get the parents in hope of them having some way to get the girl and the rest of the team out of this weird sleep. How could they have gotten back so quickly? He came to a grinding halt as he looked up. And up. Over three feet above him stood the head of a butterfly. It was almost as big as the room. That is until it started to shrink. The body of a woman appeared and stepped past Koenma into the hallway to wait. Another butterfly came through and changed into a man and joined her. Then came a woman and man and then Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"Our son sent to us before he returned to the Spirit World with Yoko. We were outside the village taking new Bonds. These two are ones that have offered to bring us here before returning. They belong to my parents. I am Syri." Said the woman. Her gold eyes landed on Koenma. She was easily six feet tall but she quickly bowed to the son of king Yama.

The male followed suit and then looked at Koenma with the brown eyes of his daughter. "I am Pywn. Where are our son and daughter? If we are to help them, then we must see them this instant." He told him, though his tone was light and respectful.

"We will wait for you on the other side little ones." The two butterflies said, reaching touching the shoulder and then disappearing into the portal just as two three foot tall children came rushing through. Both were boys and they climbed quickly up the mother and father of Chime and Choucho.

"Where are we?" asked one excitedly as he sat on the shoulder of the father.

"You will have to excuse Tym (Tim) and Kym (Ke-m)." the father said with a fond smile. "They are newly hatched and curious of the world."

"Yes! We are Bonds, these are our Bonds. We love them and want to see father Limrin soon." Said the one that had plopped himself delicately onto the head of Syri. He was smaller in size than the other, almost delicate under the light as he looked around with huge eyes.

Koenma stared at the demons he had allowed into the entrance of Spirit World. Well his plan had gone horribly wrong and now it was up to him to change that. "Come this way Syri, Pywn. Your children are in the infirmary. Domica is in a holding pin however. She passed out after the last questioning and won't wake up now."

**Inside Rexi:**

Rexi had been waiting for what seemed like forever. She had gotten a cough back and had taken almost an hour to get it to calm down. She looked around and poked the darkness with the knife. The voice of her sister had come and gone several times by now. It kept pushing the option to kill herself. She considered it. Maybe it would wake herself up if she died in the dream. But then her sister would win. She would prove to her that she was weak. She refused to do that.

She was flipping the knife over in her hand when something caught her eye. The darkness on the west side was the gazebo, a picture was forming. Yoko was running through a maze. She pushed herself forward and tried to reach for it but as soon as she moved forward the picture pulled away. She went back to her seat and watched as it came back into focus. Another tease but one she didn't mind as much. It meant that her sister was still there. She hadn't talked for a good ten minutes.

Yoko ran through the maze, a voice taunting him now.

"Do you think the little fox will be able to make it to his mate in time?" Asked her sister. "Or will he make it to the middle of the maze just in time to see her die?" Yoko kept running, trying to ignore the anger that was swelling in him.

"Or maybe he'll make it just in time to help her slide the knife into her own heart?" A few moments pause.

"Or we'll just let him out when it's too late to save little Choucho the butterfly girl. Yeah I like that option." She said.

"Oh but we promised him that if he got to the middle of the maze he could get to Choucho."

The way she spoke it was as if she was going insane. And maybe she was. Rexi knew a little about dream walkers and one of the problems with it was if they did it too much at one time they started to go a bit bonkers. The people they visited started to slip into their mind and give them the perspective of several people in one head. And from the feel of it, her sister had been in not only her dreams but Kurama's as well.

"Oh but he's been running in this maze since we knocked him out and that was almost four days ago."

Four days? But my dream only lasted two. Rexi noted. But then she thought about how a five minute long dream could really take the whole night to play out.

"Would you shut up?" Came a voice that was obvious Yoko's. He'd come to a T intersection and was trying to figure out which way to go. He couldn't afford to make a mistake now. "Once I get my hands on you I'll make sure you never speak again." He stopped as a picture opened up in front of him. It was a picture of her, running down an empty hallway, a man carrying a knife chasing after her. He didn't hesitate any more, he took the right.

Rexi noted that he didn't touch any of the plants nor call on their help. Could it be he didn't have his own powers as well? She couldn't watch it any more. If he'd been running for four days he must be getting exhausted. She launched herself quickly forward as her sister's voice started to taunt him again. She threw the knife through the picture. To her surprise, it went through the picture and flew straight in front of Yoko, digging up to the hilt in the ground.

She stuck her hand through the picture, trying to get through. She could see Yoko turn and focus in on her hand. "Yoko!" she screamed. Just as he reached out to grab her arm, she was propelled back by an invisible force. Her back slammed into the edge of the seat on the opposite side, stunning her.

"Naughty, naughty little sister. How does your darkness grow?" came a little laugh as the darkness started to cover the Gazebo walls, making her area smaller.

She crawled away from it, sitting in the middle as the knife appeared in front of her again. "I suppose no more pictures from Yoko will help you decide. Quick death or slow painful, or maybe I should smother you in this darkness." The darkness started to creep in millimeter by millimeter.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Koenma was watching the two older Ysandi demons walk around and examine each of the patients, ending with their daughter. Rexi's body lay flat on the bed, strapped down after the last convulsions had nearly thrown her off the table. He would have suspected that they would have gone to her aid first seeing as she was the one that got attacked first and was in such serious conditions.

The healers he had brought in to heal the demons body had done all they could but it seemed that the virus was eating faster than they could heal. Her lungs were being forcibly moved so as not to suffocate her as they continued to fill with blood. He felt horrible. If he hadn't have forced Rexi to work with Kurama in hopes of getting her to be a little happier by being near Yoko, she would never have risked her life to save Shiori Minamino and wouldn't be in this predicament with her parents staring at her like she was a test subject in some strange movie.

"What do you think?" he finally asked, sucking on his pacifier to get out his excess energy. While he had stayed in Teenager form, he still couldn't help it. He had to fidget with the thing in his mouth and he couldn't exactly take it out. That would be bad.

"We will be able to get these three out of the dream." The woman Syri said, pointing to Chime, Limrin, and Kurama.

"Our daughter we will worry about once we have Chime and his Bond out along with your spirit warrior." Pywn finished, turning away from his daughter without a second glance. They had a lot of work to do. He couldn't help but smile as Kym, his Bond, climbed up next to his father Limrin and curled up, murmuring softly about how nice it would be to meet him. Tym had joined him on the other side, hugging LImrin's motionless arm.

"What do you mean?" the young lord asked, while confusion became plain on his face. "You are going to let Rexi rot away and not help her until you've helped your son and a worker of mine? I brought you here to help her. It's my fault she's like that and I want to make sure that it gets fixed."

"I do not believe you have had many lessons in Ysandi politics. I will go and take blood samples while my husband tells you about what it is like." Syri said, going over and getting the two children to help her move the arm so she could pull blood from the butterfly turned man.

"While our son has done something that is not done normally, by falling in love with his Bond and a male bond at that, he has still been accepted by most Ysandi. He only leaves the village once every couple of years. And even then he returns quickly, never dawdling." Pywn said as he watched his wife work. "Choucho-"

"Rexi." Koenma corrected.

"Excuse me?"

"She goes by Rexi around here." Koenma explained.

"Even more reason. Rexi Choucho, call her a blue baboon if you must, but she has broken the rules. She ran away from an arranged marriage which she showed interest in to begin with. She didn't just run away for a few weeks to make it plain to us that she did not want that marriage. She stayed away until Chime was sent to pick her up only two hundred some odd years ago. She had been two hundred and fifty when we last saw her. When she returned she was well into her six hundreds.

"We were finally able to arrange another marriage and she ran away with that Fox and his Bat buddy. We have only seen her one other time since then and then our other daughter thought it would be funny to sleep with the fox. Rexi crashed her way out of Yoko's stronghold and went off on her own again.

"She fell in love with this Yoko as well. While, as much as any father, I do not want to lose my daughters, I must save the ones that can be saved first. As my role as a Ysandi. It may already be too late for her to fully recover from what has been done from her. You say that she has been in this state for eight days now? It is a surprise that your machines are still picking up brain waves. She will not be more than a vegetable within seventy four hours. Even with your healers help, the virus will not go away unless my wife and I use our own blood to cure it. And we have newlings." Pywn explained, watching the children help his wife do the same to Kurama and then Chime. "I would rather save the son that knew his duty to the town than my two daughters."

Koenma was stunned by the lack of sympathy that her father was putting out as he led his wife over to the medical station located in the far corner of the room. He was about to go over and explain to them that they didn't have a choice in the matter. They'd save their daughter first so that they could then go and focus on Kurama and Chime. But then one of the twins pulled on his clothes, bringing his attention down to him.

"What he really means to say is that they will be able to save Mister Yoko, and then bring back their son and our father within a few hours. Then they will turn all their attention to their daughter so they can dote on her." He explained with a small smile. This one was the timid on Kym. "Despite the bad things that the girl has done, they still care. But they've had to face ridicule after ridicule about her actions and so they have hardened their hearts to her."

A groan from the fifth bed in the room brought everyone's attention back to the sick. Maze shifted in his bed, thrashing suddenly as he sat up. His eyes when opened were blank, dead. The two young children ran over to push him back down on the bed and check out things that their Bonds were telling them to while they focus on the medicine.

"He's burning up." Kym reported, his cheek against his grandfather's forehead.

"His heart is running miles a minute." Tym reported. "Literally."

He focused in on them and shook his head. He couldn't talk. It had been too long since he had been awake. Kym climbed up into the bed and started to ask him questions as Tym ran over to the tray with water on it to get a glass. He ran back, holding the glass high over head to make sure if it spilled it didn't get over the ground but on him instead. "Here! Give him this Kym."

Taking the glass, Kym helped Maze drink. When he was done with drinking it, he looked over. "You two are new." He whispered before shaking his head. He couldn't get distracted. After all this time he had finally gotten lose from darkness that had encircled his bond. He pushed himself up out of the bed and put a hand to his head. "Tell your Bonds that darkness is coming to get her. I don't know how, but she's stuck and it'll be on her in an hour." That was all he could say because the next moment he was falling back into sleep.

The twins and Koenma looked over at the parents, waiting for their reaction. They had stopped work to listen in through their Bonds to find out what was going on. Their hands went back to moving, though much quicker. Without sharing words, the twins went over and climbed up to cut their forearm. They let the blood, purple blood, pour into a small dish that already held the blood from Choucho. All they could do was wait now and see if the pure blood would heal hers.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Okay, get Chime ready for his injection." Said a frantic Syri. They had made the antidote quicker than Koenma had ever seen a pair work before. They must have been together for more than a few thousand years to get the coordination they presented down. One moved and the other finished the movement. Their twin Bonds also moved that way and from the sound of it they were only a few days old.

Kym ran over and positioned the arm of Chime in the right position as she walked over, putting the medicine in the syringe. They'd tested it on Limrin and he was awake and holding the other hand of Chime that Kym wasn't near. Kym seemed to have a seen interest in how his father was obviously in love with his Bond and had been blurting out questions as he watched him while multitasking and helping.

Chime bolted out of the dream like state as if given a shock of electricity. His eyes registered everything around him before landing on Limrin. It didn't take long for the two to be on the ground their bodies winding around each others their lips locked in one of the most passion filled kisses many in the room had ever seen. Kym and Tym, new to this idea of interaction were staring wide eyed, their small mouths forming perfect 'O's as their Bonds explained what it was.

Pywn was administrating the drug to the human form of Kurama, remembering their last encounter when the first disaster with Domica had happened.

**With Rexi**

Unaware of the help coming from the outside, Rexi was wracking her brain for a way to get out. The darkness had enclosed her to a three feet wide space. She had thought about running through the blackness, but would it do the same thing as killing her she wondered. She still held the knife near her to make sure she was at least armed when the disembodied voice because the body of her sister.

She spun around as the darkness pulled away. She kept turning on the spot, trying to find the bitch who had done this to her. She was feeling weak though. Her lungs were starting to hurt again and she could swear she could feel the muscles in her shoulders tighten ready to yell at her. When no one showed up she took a step outside the three feet radius she had had earlier.

A noise behind her brought her attention. She threw the knife without looking. It clinked against glass as she realized what had happened. She went over to the glass wall that divided the place in half. On the other side Yoko stood, panting and out of breath. He must have finally gotten to the end of the maze. He was staring at her. She must have looked like quite a sight. She'd forgotten the dress really. And then she remembered when she had coughed blood all over it. She supposed it was ruined.

He tried to run the glass over with his strength but she shook her head. "Yoko can you hear me?" She asked, putting her hand against the thing that kept them apart. His own clawed hand went up to press against the opposite glass.

"Yes." He replied. "Are you okay? She kept saying that you were dying."

"Oh I'm fine!" Rexi lied. She didn't need him to worry about her health. That was the last thing he needed to worry about. "I was worried about you. She was saying that you've been running for days."

Yoko watched her. "What has she been making you see? Darkness and a little hut looking thing?" he asked looking around.

"That, among other things." She said, shaking her head and quickly describing what had happened minus the sickness. "Strange, huh?"

"A little. Sounds like something Suichi would dream of." Yoko offered. "So do you know how to get out of here?" He turned away to look at the darkness.

"Don't touch it!" she called out as he went to poke it. She didn't know why but she didn't think that it was a good idea to touch it. What if it pulled him away and never let her see anyone again before coming to kill her? Uncontrollable fear and worry started to haunt her as she watched him turn around to look at her. "I don't—I won't let you die in front of me again." She said, looking away.

"What do you mean again? You weren't there when I died the first time." He said, coming back to the glass.

"The man that captured me had a video of you running up when he tried to interrogate me." She whispered. "I couldn't do anything but watch as you were killed when you were running away."

Yoko wanted to pull her into a hug. He wanted to use this time to make love with her again. He wanted to die with the taste of her on his lips. He had felt invincible after he had, event though Maze had chased him all around the hideout after he got through the doors. "You weren't to blame you know." He said, realizing what it had been about her that had been eating at him since he'd first seen her at the tournament. "I made the choice to stay and try to save you."

"But if I had paid more attention there wouldn't have been that need for you to stay. I would have gotten out of the way—"

"Stop. You can't blame yourself." Yoko said, before laughing. "This kind of reminds of then."

"You have to live this time. I won't let you die again." She said, pushing herself against the glass. She felt the darkness behind her move. She smiled as her chest started to spasm. She forced back the urge to cough.

"So will you." Yoko said, before his eyes looked at the darkness behind her. "Rexi. Just look at me okay? You will get out of this I promise."

"I love you." She said softly, smiling up at him, burning the picture of him standing there in her mind. Wherever she ended up, she knew Koenma would allow her a nice place to remember Yoko until one day of old age he joined her. She couldn't hold the cough back any more. She started to cough as she fell to her knees. Small dots of blood flecked the glass between them. He stepped back, surprised by this new development. She continued to cough, not hearing as he called her voice. Her hand reached out and grabbed the knife. If she could just get up. She turned and pushed herself towards the darkness where her sister was just disappearing into.

"No! Choucho!" he called, pushing himself against the glass as she ran into the darkness after her sister. And then his eyes were opening. He looked into the eyes that were so like Choucho's.

"Welcome back to the Spirit World Infirmary Suichi. I believe you remember me as Choucho's fath-" the man started before he was pushed out of the way of Kurama. The one that had just recovered ran over to the bed where Choucho rested.

His eyes ran over the instruments as he dropped to his knees beside her. The brain wave register was dead. Nothing showed. The healers that worked on her were starting to falter, looking at Koenma for instructions. There was a feint heartbeat but even that was starting to fade. The machines that were getting the blood out of the girls system were working too slowly to get the amount that was filling it out.

His own heart sank. If she died, he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep Yoko from going on a killing spree starting with Domica and ending with who knew who Chapter 12


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

She'd been pushing through the darkness, trying to get at her sister. She couldn't see anything. Her hearing was gone. Smell, taste, every sense she had was gone. All she could think of was getting at her sister and ending this torment. She couldn't even feel the knife in her hand as she ran. She had to keep running. That was all that she knew. If she kept running forward she could eventually get to her sister. This nightmare would end and she'd be allowed to finally rest in peace. Maybe even get to be with Yoko one last time.

The darkness pulled on her though. It wanted her to stop now. Her heart was pounding. Her lungs were filling with this total darkness. She could have stayed in that lit area with Kurama. She could have stayed there until the illness killed her and had a few last moments with him. Instead she had been stupid and thought she'd be able to handle this darkness. She couldn't. Not really. It pulled at her mind, wanting to get her to let the knife go; to lie down and accept the darkness that was death. Her sister didn't need to taunt her now. This darkness had all the tools that were needed to get her to give in.

She felt her hold on the knife slip. It fell from her hand but she didn't hear it clatter to the ground. She had to keep going. She had to ignore the growing voice that told her it was useless. Rexi cried out but the sound never made it to her ears. Her stomach cramped, her lungs choked. She started to fall.

**With Suichi**/**Family**

Limrin was finally pulled away from Chime who was staring after him with lust filled eyes. If he hadn't have been pulled away he was sure that they would have gone the whole way in front of everyone. Their own nightmares had been hard enough.

Limrin had been tied up, watching as Chime was bleed to death at the hands of a demon. It had been a slow process, one he couldn't stop no matter what form he took or what. Chime had been watching as a demon had taken Limrin and plucked his wings off after miniaturizing him. Then, when Limrin had returned to human form, the demon had then started to break every bone in Lim's body if Chime made a sound when he was being whipped.

They had gotten Maze's blood while the two of them had been all over each other to the amazement and interest of Kym and Tym. Limrin was now needed to produce his own blood to the mixture. Dragging his eyes away from Chime, he injured himself on the arm and allowed the purple blood of his body to flow out into the bowl that had been placed on the table. Chime walked over and wrapped loving arms around his lover and Bond as he watched the purple blood mix with Maze's and Rexi's. When enough was taken from Limrin, Chime pulled him away and took the bandage offered and started to gingerly cover it.

"Now we just need untainted blood from Domica so as to get rid of the Yuki poisoning." Pywn said, looking at his daughter as she started to fail. Her heart was only pounding once every ten seconds. While not normal for humans, Demon's hearts ran differently. They could go easily five minutes between rushing blood to the rest of her body. For it to be pounding that quickly meant something bad was happening.

"I'll do it." Kurama said, rising from the crouch that he was in. His green eyes that held worry and kindness when he looked at Rexi turned cold as he turned to Koenma. "Where is she?" Kurama had never used that tone with anyone while in a human. It was a tone that said not to mess with him. That he was not in the mood. And if he didn't get what he wanted, there would be hell to pay for anyone that stood in his way.

"She's in the holding cell three doors down." Koenma said, stepping out of the way of the enraged Kurama, pointing at several guards and motioning for them to go with the man that was stalking away.

Something was different about Kurama. Not just the anger, Koenma registered. Had his plan after all worked? Had Yoko Kurama remembered who she had been to him? While this was not the way he had wanted it to happen at least he would be able to see Rexi smile when she woke up. He refused to think of it in terms of if she woke up. She had to wake up.

Kurama stalked down the hallway to the room where she was being held. She was asleep and tied to a bed. He wished they had strung her up by her toenails. That would have gotten her attention whether she was in there taunting Rexi or not. That was Yoko talking though. But at that moment, Kurama didn't think it was quite that bad of an idea.

Entering he took the syringe that he had gotten on his way there and jabbed it into her vein, not too gently either. He was careful to get it in the vein though, so that the blood he took would be from the source. He played with the idea of letting lose a death plant or blood sucking plant. That would just make him as bad as her.

As he pulled the first syringe out, she woke, looking at him as he put another into her arm. She started to smirk and chuckle. "It's too late to save her Yoko. No matter what you do with this blood it's too late. We killed her. She'll never survive, even if you do wake her up." She said.

Kurama ignored her until he'd gotten the three tubes of blood that were needed and looked at her. "You are a bit over confident. I'm not the only one here that's trying to save her. Her mother and father and brother and all their Bonds are trying to bring her back including myself." He saw a flicker of fright in the girls eyes at the mention of her parents. "And we'll do all we can to save Rexi."

He rose and walked away calmly. The moment he was out of eye shot of the woman though he sprinted back to the medical room. He tossed them to the waiting mother who quickly stirred it into the mixture and carried the bowl over to Rexi.

"She has to drink this for it to get to her lungs." Syri said, "Someone lift her so we don't end up drowning her ourselves." Kurama walked over and slid behind Rexi, pulling her up to lean back against him. She felt so light. He remembered the seconds before he'd been woken. She'd coughed up blood on the force field between them and then ran through the darkness she had told him not to touch.

Syri pulled open her daughter's mouth and gently started to let the blood mixture which smelled horrible, Kurama noted, fall down the girls mouth and throat. Her body started to shudder and then tried to make the foul smelling liquid come back up. Syri slammed her daughter's mouth closed and covered it with her hand, with her other hand she closed her daughter's nose. The girl's body settled and swallowed it so she could gasp for air through her mouth. And then everything went still—the monitors that registered heart and breathing, the monitors that measured brain processes.

**With Rexi**

She felt like she'd been falling forever. It never seemed to end. She supposed this must be what was happening to the knife. She spent the time remembering the last few weeks and then the years with Yoko. It all seemed so long ago and yet so full of fun. She was glad that she'd get to go to Spirit World as a ghost with the memory of Yoko remembering her. She'd be able to wait for him in Spirit World knowing that he remembered and would remember.

Then the darkness was gone. She was in a field of roses. She spun around, her party dress changed into a black sundress with rose designs done in gold. She looked up and saw the sun. What was going on? She should have died. Was she dead? Was this part of the River Styx? And then something was pulling at her. She started to run towards it. She had to reach it. Her heart beat in her chest as she tried to find the source of the pull.

Something green was ahead. She was almost there. And then blackness covered her again. Only this darkness was welcomed. It was the darkness of true sleep. It smelled horrible though. Like someone had mixed too many putrid smells together. She blinked weak eyes opened and looked up into the green eyes she'd dreamed about.

Kurama started to grin like a madman. And then her vision was crowded with the faces of her brother and his Bond, her own Bond, her parents and two small children. And then behind all of them was Koenma.

"Who threw up?" she asked, her voice weak and barely audible. They laughed. Suddenly everything was ablaze with celebration. Someone made the bed she was laying on raise up so she could sit but still relax as she watched them celebrate the successful mission accomplished. Kurama never left her side, his hand holding onto hers tightly. Once she looked down at her left hand and looked for the ring that Yoko had given her. When she didn't see it she looked around frantically, although her movements were a bit sluggish. While the medicine had cured her deteriorating body she was still weak and would need to rest for another few days and then would need therapy to be able to move the way she had before.

Kurama knew what she wanted and dug it out of his pocket. They had taken it off the first day they were there and he'd kept it with him just to make sure it didn't get lost. Yoko had taken it out once or twice to look at it when they had been in demon world. Slowly, almost ceremonially, he slipped it onto her ring finger. He didn't notice but the rest of the room had grown quiet. For him, only Rexi was worth paying attention too. To tell the truth, he'd almost thought about going and finding the Forlorn Hope and trying to get it to work again.

Rexi stared at her hand and then over at him. She saw his eyes turn to gold for a moment before returning to the green ones that he had. She relaxed back and smiled brightly. And then they let her fall back to sleep which was thankfully dream free. And she relished every single moment of it.

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><p><em><strong>NOTE TO READERS: I just want to thank all of you for reading thus far into the Butterfly Chronicles and update you on what's going to happen. After this there with only be one more act (One Last Dance, my Butterfly) before the end of the Chronicles. So that means we are counting down until the end of the Kurama x Choucho pairing. :) Please remember if you want to request a pairing from me I will be more than happy to do it for you. Either pm me about it or leave a comment on one of the B.C. Chapters and I'll get in touch with you. -ROSEY<strong>_


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